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23/07/2024

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16/07/2024

The most important question you will ever ask is, “Who is my father?” Your answer to this question will influence every other question of life. Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here?

Get the father question wrong and you will miss it on every other issue. Your identity will be muddled, and you will have no lasting security. In your legitimate desire to define yourself, you may settle for inferior choices such as career or ministry. “I am a doctor.” “I am a pastor.” But the truth is you are more than what you do. Much more. You are your Father’s child.

~Paul Ellis, “The Gospel in Twenty Questions”

09/07/2024

The manmade Religion of Self Improvement says God’s blessings are in front of us and we must press on to catch up to them. We have to pray more, witness more, and do more, before we can be blessed. But the greatest psalm ever written says God’s goodness and lovingkindness are following us (see Ps. 23:6). They’re right behind us. We don’t have to push on to be blessed; we have to sit down. “He makes me lie down in green pastures” (Ps. 23:2).

The Good Shepherd is not the one pushing you to perform; he’s trying to get you to rest. What happens when we yield to his gentle hand and lie down at rest in his presence? His goodness and grace catch up with us and we are blessed.

~Paul Ellis, “Letters From Jesus”

02/07/2024

How do we endure? What if we stumble at the last? (from The Gospel in Twenty Questions)

Can you can lose your salvation if you fail to stand firm or endure to the end? What if you stumble at the end? There are about two dozen scriptures that have some bearing on this question. Here we…

25/06/2024

Thanks to those of you who have pre-ordered my new books on Kindle. The official launch for Galatians is next week. Yes, there will be paperbacks and hardcovers.

25/06/2024

The lifeboat gospel is the idea that salvation is all about avoiding hell and gaining heaven. The problem with this gospel is that it has sidelined entire generations of believers by telling them the earth is nothing more than a waiting room for eternity.

Afraid of being left behind, Christians with a lifeboat mentality have opted out of life. They want nothing to do with this filthy world lest they end up entangled in it. “Forget the arts, forget politics, forget science. This world is destined for the fire anyway, so why bother?”

Lifeboat Christians are hands-off Christians. Yet their passivity, which is really unbelief, means they regularly get steamrolled by the circumstances of life. When this happens it only confirms their belief that “the ship is sinking—you’d best get off.” As you grow in the confidence that he who saves you also keeps you, you will leave the dubious comfort of the lifeboat and return to the Titanic where you will bring the good news of salvation to others. You will lay hands on the sick and they will be healed. You will proclaim freedom to the captives and they will be freed. You will find that supernatural signs and wonders follow this good news wherever it goes.

~Paul Ellis, “The Gospel in Ten Words”

18/06/2024

The letter to the Laodiceans is sometimes interpreted as Exhibit A in the Manual on Church Discipline. “Remember what Jesus said to those lukewarm losers.” It ought to be recognized as one of the greatest displays of divine grace. “Remember that Jesus loves Laodiceans!”

~Paul Ellis, “Letters From Jesus”

11/06/2024

All is not lost. (from The Gospel in Twenty Questions)

What happens to Christians who stray, or follow another Jesus, another Spirit, or another gospel? This is not a hard question to answer because it happened in the Bible. The consequences of going a…

04/06/2024

The law is not a standard to live up to, but a mirror that reveals our faults. The law was not given to help you overcome sin, but to help sin overcome you. Jesus met many people who thought they would be judged righteous if they kept the law. But instead of being silenced by their inability to do so, they diluted the law. They lowered the standard making it easier to keep. Jesus didn’t like this one bit. In the Sermon on the Mount he took the watered-down law (“You have heard it said”) and raised it to a higher level (“but I say unto you”). He polished the mirror.

Why did Jesus spend so much time preaching the law? Because some people will never appreciate the good news until they’ve heard the bad news, which is this: “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:20). And the good news is that Christ’s righteousness – which far surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law – is offered to you as a free gift (Rom 5:17).

~Paul Ellis, “Grace Remix”

28/05/2024

The law drives us, but Jesus draws us. The law whips, but the Lord woos. The law commands, but Christ counsels us like the true friend he is.

The Ruler of all does not demand obedience from the Laodiceans. He does not threaten them with hellfire or damnation. Instead, he draws them aside like a trader in the marketplace with the deal of a lifetime. “I advise you to buy from me” (Rev 3:18). With unexpected generosity, he makes them an offer that’s too good to pass up.

Why is Jesus talking like a businessman? Perhaps it is because this was a church of merchants and business people. They understood the art of the deal. “You want to do business?” Jesus said. “Then do business with me.”

~Paul Ellis, “Letters From Jesus”

21/05/2024

Do you think of God as your employer? (from The Gospel in Ten Words)

The good news of God’s acceptance is not widely preached. You are much more likely to hear about God’s high standards than his unmerited favor. It’s like Jesus has this list of positive qualities h…

14/05/2024

The Laodicean church was Jewish in the same way the Jerusalem church was Jewish. But unlike the Jerusalem Jews, the Laodicean Jews were still bound to the law. Lacking a full revelation of what Christ had done, they were stuck between two covenants. This is why Jesus says they were neither cold (fully under law) nor hot (fully under grace). They were living under law and grace, which is like having a cold bath and hot one at the same time.

~Paul Ellis, “Letters From Jesus”

07/05/2024

The Holy Spirit always seeks to reveal Jesus (John 15:26). If the message you are hearing directs you to Jesus, you can be sure that you are hearing from the Spirit of Christ.

When Jesus says, “He who has an ear, let him hear,” he’s saying if we really listen we will hear more than sermons and letters written for people who lived thousands of years ago. He’s saying we can hear what the Spirit wants to say to us today.

This is worth bearing in mind whenever we read the Bible or hear a sermon or read a Facebook note. If we come away feeling condemned or proud, we’ve missed Jesus. But if we come away praising God and established in his grace, then we have heard what the Spirit is saying.

~Paul Ellis, “Letters From Jesus”

30/04/2024

Grace is a race you start at the finish line (extracted from The Gospel in Twenty Questions)

Some believe that Christianity is a race. But what kind of race is it? Is it like a marathon, something to be endured rather than enjoyed? And do only those who endure to the end qualify for the ki…

23/04/2024

The gospel is so simple that it’s hard for our grown-up minds to grasp. It can’t be that good. There must be a catch.

Before I understood the simplicity of the gospel, my mind was like an ashtray—full of “buts.” God loves you but … Jesus died for you but …

As I understood it, God’s gifts always came with a price tag. Only they don’t. They can’t. Don’t you see? Grace must be free or it’s not grace. Don’t let anyone charge you for what God has freely given.

~Paul Ellis, “The Gospel in Ten Words”

16/04/2024

The gospel is bigger and better than you think. The goodness of the good news is directly proportional to the goodness of God and the newsiness of the good news is proportional to the level of revelation we have about him. Since God is infinitely good and infinitely big, and since there is always more for us to discover about him, there is always more to the good news than we can ever think or imagine. The gospel is simple but it gets bigger and better on examination until your mind is fried and you are floored with gratitude at the loving-kindness of a good God.

What is the gospel? It is the revelation of God’s love through Jesus Christ. Whatever your need, your answer is found in Christ alone. He is the Love who loves us and the Grace who helps us in our time of need.

If you are a sinful sinner, see Jesus. If you are a struggling saint, see Jesus. If you are oppressed by poverty, you don’t need a sermon outlining seven steps to prosperity—you need a revelation of Jesus, who became poor for our sakes so that we might be rich (2 Cor 8:9). If you are facing a storm and don’t know the way forward, you need a revelation of the One who silenced the tempest with a word. If you are looking for a solution to one of the world’s many problems, Jesus has it. Since Jesus is the Author of life, he is the first and last word on any and every subject.

~Paul Ellis, “The Gospel in Ten Words”

09/04/2024

Everything you need to know about faith (extracted from Paul's book Grace Disco)

The gospel declares God’s grace comes through faith. So if you wanted to undermine the gospel, there are two ways you could do it: 1. attack grace – put price tags on it or obscure it by referring …

02/04/2024

The Good Shepherd calls his sheep by name and they come. He does not need “the sheepdog of the law” to round them up. The law is not your sheepdog, watchdog, or guide dog.

The law was put in place to lead you to Christ so that you might be justified by faith. Have you come to Christ? Have you been born again? Then you have no further need of the law. It has done its job. Paul says the law was not made for the righteous (1 Tim 1:9), and in Christ you *are* righteous.

~Paul Ellis, “Grace Classics”